The fictitious offices of Mode magazine played host to a very real awards ceremony last week, as representatives from Empire State Development (ESD) and the star of Ugly Betty announced the winner of the first-ever “I Love New York Short Film Competition.”

America Ferrera, whose character Betty Suarez works at Mode in the hit ABC television series, presented the award to Syracuse resident Sean Cunningham, who won first prize for his 60-second film, Discover a Different New York. The event took place on the set of Ugly Betty, which films at Silvercup Studios in Long Island City.

“We created this competition to help people see that New York is more than just home to the greatest city in the world, but also a truly dynamic and beautiful state,” said Thomas Ranese, chief marketing officer for ESD.

Cunningham’s film does just that, as it opens with a college graduate (played by Michael Parish) celebrating his achievement. When he announces that he will be moving to New York, a relative notes that New York is a pretty big city, but when the graduate arrives, he finds a state full of natural wonders and not just concrete and yellow cabs.

“We filmed at about 10 to 15 locations across the state, and then used six for the film,” said Cunningham of his award-winning short.

Cunningham’s film was the overall winner, but nine other awards were given out in categories broken down by region and age. Filmmakers over the age of 14, regardless of previous movie-making experience, were invited to participate. (Shane Miller)